Turkey

In October we had a wonderful visit with Tim's sister, Kiffin. The three of us went to Turkey where we had the pleasure of spending time with her friend, Ecem, husband Steve, and Ecem's Mom and Uncle.

Our first stop was Bodrum - a beautiful town on the Aegean coast - where we spent lots of time by the pool ... visited the Bodrum Castle (built in 1406) ... and saw some artifacts from as early as 14th century BC!

The boys especially enjoyed partaking in the local cuisine (don't ask what kind of meat goes into the kokorec sandwiches...)

And having "the best shave ever" by Steve's local barber...

If by now you've noticed that Tim seemed to be wearing that blue t-shirt quite frequently, you're right - due to sub-par baggage handling proceedures at Turkish Airlines (and possibly the fact that we may have seriously under-tipped the porter due to a mis-interpretation of the exchange rate on Turkish Lira!), Tim had a very limited wardrobe for the first 4 days of our trip. :(

Nevertheless ...

On to Istanbul!

Istanbul is the only city in the world sitting in 2 continents (Europe & Asia for those who weren't paying attention in 6th grade geography) and is an incredibly busy, crowded, fast-paced place.

We were welcomed with traditional Apple Tea...

then visited Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque, which are two of the most beautiful mosques among what must be hundreds in the city.

Joining us at Aya Sofia was a very cute group of grey-haired tourists (including one old lady who seeemd to think she was a member of the Las Vegas CSI!) who all took photos, on cue, whenever their tour guide pointed out something of signifacance at the mosque!

We had some great local food

and managed to find a few Starbucks as well :)

The Whirling Dervishes performance is a must-do in Istanbul. These are a special sect of Islam and in this religious ceremony, the Dervishes spin as they believe it brings them closer to Allah. One hand is extended up, and the other down - symbolizing the transferring of teachings and blessing down to the people on earth.

The highlight of our trip was, by far, the people we met. Ecem's hospitality in Bodrum was so wonderful, and we had the pleasure of making a new friend, Jamal, in Istanbul. Jamal has a beautiful rug shop and runs the Green Cafe in Sultanahmet - if you are ever visiting, stop by for some tea, a hookah and some great baklava ... and maybe even a backgammon lesson if you are lucky.